Processing of a silver halide color photographic material fundamentally comprises color development and desilvering steps and the desilvering step comprises bleaching and fixing steps or blixing step performing these steps in one step. If necessary, washing, stopping, stabilization, and pretreatment for accelerating development are included.
In recent years, it is strongly desired in the market of color photography to shorten the time period from receiving photographed color films from users, development processing the films and printing on color papers, until delivering the finished color prints to users. Therefore, expediting the development of not only color negative films but also color papers have been increasingly required. As the color paper capable of rapid development to cope with this requirement, the color paper using high silver chloride content emulsion disclosed in WO 87/04534 and the rapid processing technique applicable thereto have been introduced to the color photographic market to be generally used.
However, with the recent prevalence of the small scale processing station called a store lab or a mini-lab, further shortening of development processing time has been strongly demanded, hence now the needs of the market are not sufficiently met even with the above generally used rapid processing technique. Therefore, the technique of expediting development has been eagerly advanced from both sides of the photographic material and the development processing method even after the introduction of the above color paper using high silver chloride content emulsion to the color photographic market.
That is, in addition to the means for expedition means, such as high temperature rapid development, high pH development and increment of the concentrations of developers, from the side of the development processing method, JP-A-3-246543 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") proposes a rapid development processing technique in which a color developing agent having a carbamoyl group as the N-substituent is used. JP-A-3-229249 and JP-A-4-443 disclose a rapid development processing technique in which a color developing agent having a hydroxypropyl group and the like as the N-substituent is used. Further, a rapid development processing technique in which a color developing agent having a hydroxypropyl group as the N-substituent is applied to color paper having an undercoat layer comprising gelatin having dispersed therein titanium oxide is disclosed in JP-A-6-59421. Further, a rapid development processing technique in which a general purpose color developing agent having a hydroxyethyl group as the N-substituent is combined with N-alkylhydroxylamine having a water-soluble group as the alkyl group is disclosed in JP-A-4-97355. These techniques of expediting development have drawbacks that the developing agents which are not commercially available at present are used, therefore, widely used common processing on the market cannot be performed. As the method of using a development accelerator, British Patent 811,185 discloses a technique of expediting development using 1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidones and U.S. Pat. No. 2,417,514 discloses a technique of using N-methyl-p-aminophenols. However, widely used common processing on the market cannot be performed also in these methods.
On the other hand, from the side of the photographic material, the improving techniques of developing properties such as uniformization of emulsion grain size of color paper, combination with reduction sensitization, and the use of spectral sensitizers for inhibiting fog without impairing development speed are proposed. For example, methods of shortening development processing time by providing a magenta coloring layer and a cyan coloring layer at the position farther from the support are disclosed in JP-A-7-239538 and JP-A-7-239539. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,320,938 and 5,264,337, tabular {100} grains having high spectral sensitization effect are disclosed. In addition, means of expediting development by the layer arrangement of not making a blue-sensitive emulsion layer the undermost emulsion layer, and reducing gelatin coating amount to reduce the layer thickness are disclosed in JP-A-5-303182.
Speeding up development processing has been advanced from both sides of the photographic material and the development processing method as described above, but new problems have arisen with the expedition of development processing. That is, the first problem is that the generality on the market of the global color photography is lost because specific development accelerating materials which are not used in general development processing must be used, as has already been described. The second problem is that in the rapid processing in which conventionally used processing materials are used or even in the case of rapid processing type photographic materials to which conventional processing is applicable, the white background of a color print is colored and stained due to the increment of fog. The third problem is that the unevenness by development processing is liable to occur due to rapid development. In particular, development unevenness is easy to occur when a conveyance rate is small as in the mini-lab, and the solution of this problem is strongly desired. The fourth problem is that the deterioration of photographic characteristics is caused due to the mixture of a blixing solution into a color developing solution. The more the development becomes rapid, the more actualized the deterioration of photographic characteristics by the mixture of a blixing solution. The deterioration of photographic characteristics by the mixture of a blixing solution means the fluctuation of sensitivity, the fluctuation of gradation and the increase of stains on the white background (fog). When sensitivity and gradation are fluctuated, the color balance among cyan, magenta and yellow is lost, as a result the color reproduction is impaired and the commodity value of the color print is lowered. Further, stains on the white background detract from the white of the highlight part and reduce the commodity value.
Accordingly, for further shortening the development processing time of color papers, drawbacks attendant upon the speedup of development processing such as deterioration of photographic characteristics, e.g., stains on the white background, development unevenness, and sensitivity reduction due to the mixture of a blixing solution into a color developing solution should be solved, and it is further desired to solve these problems with easily commercially available general purpose developing materials alone.